College Football News & Notes: Cal Poly, UC Davis joining Big Sky Conference
The football teams from Cal Poly and UC Davis are joining the Big Sky Conference, league commissioner Doug Fullerton said Tuesday.
The universities accepted the invitations to join the conference as football-only schools late last week after university presidents approved an exception to league rules that require all member schools to take part in the same 14 sports.
Cal Poly and UC Davis are Football Championship Subdivision members that compete in the Great West Conference but participate in the Big West Conference for the majority of their sports.
A timeline for the move has not been set.
"Our obligation and commitment to them is to work them in just as quickly as we can," Fullerton said.
Many of the Big Sky Conference teams have their 2011 schedules nearly complete and Cal Poly and UC Davis must officially withdraw from the Great West Conference, which also includes football teams from North Dakota, South Dakota and Southern Utah.
Fullerton said he expects Cal Poly and UC Davis to end up with some games against Big Sky schools next year, a heavy slate of games in 2012 and a likely full schedule by 2013.
"The Big Sky is recognized as one of the top Football Championship Subdivision conferences in the nation," Fullerton said in a statement. "The addition of two great institutions like Cal Poly and UC Davis gives us more depth to compete for additional playoff berths and enhances our profile throughout California.
"They will benefit from us in having access to an automatic playoff bid and a full slate of conference games," he added.
UC Davis football coach Bob Biggs has a 12-8 record against Big Sky teams over the past 17 years.
"We've played at least three Big Sky opponents every year since 2004 and look forward to strengthening those existing rivalries while building exciting new ones that fans will identify with," Biggs said in a statement. The Aggies host Portland State on Saturday.
Cal Poly head coach Tim Walsh coached Portland State from 1993-2006, including the team's transition into the Big Sky in 1996. The Mustangs host top-ranked Montana on Saturday night.
The athletic directors at both schools said they are happy with the upcoming move.
"Our goal all along has been to find stability for our football program, and the Big Sky Conference gives us exactly what we needed," said Cal Poly athletic director Alison Cone.
UC Davis athletic director Greg Warzecka called the move exciting.
"Our fans will not only be able to watch some great teams come to Aggie Stadium, but they will have a much better opportunity to travel to road games," he said in a statement released by the Big Sky.
Tuesday's moves are the first part of an expansion that could lead to a 12-team Big Sky football conference with two six-team divisions, Fullerton said.
The nine full-time Big Sky Conference members are: Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Portland State, Sacramento State and Weber State.
Zook expecting no break against high-scoring SIU
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois coach Ron Zook insists the Illini aren't expecting a break Saturday when Southern Illinois comes to Champaign.
The Salukis scored 70 last weekend in a season-opening win over Quincy. The Illini lost their opener 23-13 to Missouri.
Zook says while Southern Illinois plays at a lower level of college football than the Illini, some Saluki players could play for Illinois. And he says some of his players would struggle to see the field for the Football Championship Subdivision Salukis.
The coach on Tuesday compared Southern Illinois' offense to Boise State's wide-open attack.
Zook also says he hopes to have injured defensive back Terry Hawthorne back Oct. 2 against Ohio State. Hawthorne missed the Missouri game with an Achilles tendon injury.
Illini lineman suspended after DUI arrest
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois football coach Ron Zook says defensive lineman Michael Buchanan has been suspended indefinitely after his arrest on a preliminary charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.
Champaign County State's Attorney Julia Rietz says Illinois State Police arrested the 19-year-old sophomore at about 2:25 Sunday morning in Champaign. Rietz says Buchanan is out on bond. He also faces a preliminary charge of consumption of alcohol by a minor.
Zook on Tuesday declined to discuss further details about Buchanan's arrest.
Buchanan is from Homewood. He played in Saturday's loss to Missouri after playing as a freshman in most of Illinois' games last season.
Buchanan hasn't responded to a request for comment.
Boise State's Moore, Brotzman named top players
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Western Athletic Conference has named Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore and place kicker Kyle Brotzman among its top players from week one games.
The conference also selected Fresno State defensive tackle Logan Harrell its top defensive player for notching four quarterback sacks and a forced fumble in the Bulldogs' 28-14 win over Cincinnati Saturday.
Moore is the WAC's top player on offense after leading the No.3 Broncos on a late scoring drive to beat tenth-ranked Virginia Tech 33-30 on a national stage Monday night.
Moore threw a 13-yard TD to Austin Pettis with 1:09 remaining. He finished with 215 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Brotzman made two of three field goals in the game, including a 47-yarder in the second quarter, the longest kick in the conference on opening weekend.
More ACC schools adding wins to football schedules
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Atlantic Coast Conference schools visit traditional powerhouses Ohio State, Oklahoma and Southern California this weekend, but the era of playing nonconference games against elite teams may be disappearing as more schools load up home schedules with softer competition.
Twelfth-ranked Miami visits No. 2 Ohio State, No. 17 Florida State travels to No. 10 Oklahoma and Virginia visits 16th-ranked Southern Cal.
In the season's opening weekend, North Carolina and Virginia Tech lost close games against highly ranked opponents while many of their ACC brethren notched wins over the likes of Presbyterian, Samford, South Carolina State, Western Carolina — by embarrassingly lopsided margins.
Presbyterian, meanwhile, plays Clemson.
ACC honors UNC QB Yates, 2 players from Maryland
GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina quarterback T.J. Yates and two Maryland players are among the Atlantic Coast Conference's players of the week.
The league on Tuesday announced that Terrapins defensive lineman Joe Vellano was honored, as was defensive back Kenny Tate. Florida State's Zebrie Sanders, Georgia Tech's Sean Bedford and Virginia's Oday Aboushi were chosen co-offensive linemen of the week.
Miami's Lamar Miller is the rookie of the week, and Clemson's Dawson Zimmerman is its top specialist.
Yates threw for a career-high 412 yards in an opening-weekend loss to LSU. Tate stopped Ricky Dobbs at the 1-yard line with 34 seconds left to preserve Maryland's win over Navy.
Vols looking for new punt returner to face Oregon
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Derek Dooley says he's still especially concerned with the Volunteers' situation at punt returner heading into Saturday's meeting with seventh-ranked Oregon.
Dooley has been concerned with how the Vols would perform returning punts since spring, and Gerald Jones' fumbled return against Tennessee-Martin only added to that. Tennessee ended with minus-8 yards on punt returns.
Even if Dooley wanted Jones to return punts against the Ducks, he can't after breaking a bone in his left hand in the third quarter of the Vols' 50-0 win over the Skyhawks.
Among the candidates to replace Jones are safety Janzen Jackson, cornerback Eric Gordon, wide receiver Justin Hunter and tailback David Oku. Dooley says he'll look at the players' high school films to get a better feel for their abilities if he has to.
-- Beth Rucker
Vols C Cody Pope taken to hospital for tests
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee center Cody Pope was taken to a hospital for precautionary tests and released.
Pope was taken to the University of Tennessee Medical Center during the Volunteers' Tuesday afternoon practice and released later in the evening. Tennessee spokesman Jimmy Stanton did not have details about Pope's injury but said the junior is expected to practice with the Vols on Wednesday.
WNML radio in Knoxville, which first reported Pope was taken to the hospital, says Pope may have suffered a severe stinger.
Pope, a 6-foot-6, 290-pound, Julian, Calif., native made his first start Saturday in Tennessee's 50-0 win over Tennessee-Martin. The Vols face No. 7 Oregon this weekend.
-- Beth Rucker
Minnesota fullback Jon Hoese's father dies
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota fullback Jon Hoese's father has died following a stroke.
Terry Hoese passed away on Monday night, according to Gophers coach Tim Brewster and the family's journal on the CaringBridge website. Jon Hoese rushed for three touchdowns and made several key plays in Minnesota's win at Middle Tennessee last week while his dad was hospitalized and comatose.
Brewster said Tuesday he's not sure whether Hoese will play for the Gophers this week against South Dakota. Hoese was given the game ball last week in an emotional locker room celebration, when teammates lifted him on their shoulders and chanted his name.
Quarterback Adam Weber is Hoese's roommate and a fellow team captain. Weber says Hoese's father was one of the Gophers' biggest fans.
Arkansas cornerback Armbrust out for season
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas cornerback Seth Armbrust is out for the season due to a left knee injury.
The university said Tuesday that Armbrust, a senior, hurt the knee during Saturday's 44-3 victory over Tennessee Tech.
Armbrust started at Arkansas as a walk-on and worked his way to a scholarship.
Armbrust has played in 14 games for the Razorbacks, usually as a special teams player. In 2009 he blocked two punts, one against Eastern Michigan and the other in the Liberty Bowl in a 20-17 victory over East Carolina.
Warriors begin 13-day road trip this week
HONOLULU (AP) — The University of Hawaii football team begins a 13-day road trip to the mainland this week.
The Warriors are due to play Army on Saturday. West Point, N.Y. is the farthest east Hawaii has had to go for a game in school history. CBS College Sports is due to televise the game.
Afterward, the Warriors are due to fly to Las Vegas where they'll stay the week before heading to Boulder to play Colorado. The entire trip will cover more than 11,000 miles and five states.
